mike2011

It is of limited value to use established modes of comparison which are employed in discussions of industrialized nations in the case of Laos. The average wage or income does not mean much in a country where subsistence agriculture is still important. Questions about taxation, health case and government services also need to be considered. Economists usually fail to comprehend the complexities of society and reduce to favor their simplistic growth models.

The Laotian economy can hardly be analyzed along the lines Australia, the EU, or the US might be.

I m confident that the villagers south of Luang Namta are terribly worried about the prospects of Australia.

The question for Laos is not one of decline but of rising Chinese influence and economic penetration. Let's hope the country finds a way to avoid developing into something like a Chinese colony.

at superrich the rate is today (see their webpage) 32.75 / 32.80. It took the baht a bit over a week to weaken by 0.8 baht. Other Asian currencies have also nicely weakened by about 7-8% this year alone.

My take is that the Thai bankers overstate the influence of domestic politics. The 2014 withdrawal from Afghanistan will help European and US budgets plus the recovery is there, slow but it is real. Unfortunately, not all participate but for the foreign exchange rates it hardly matters.

The Thai bankers hope for 34 baht might come true by january not at the end of the year and 35 and above are well within reach.

If the condo bubble bursts depends on how well the banks have checked their customers this time around. If those can withstand losses for some time the landing might be softer than many expats would hope. The banks have not much real estate on offer at attractive prices that is. If someome has better info please let us know. It is an importan topic for almost of all us or at least most of us.

2david48

Thanks to your post I am just dreaming that the shrimp farms some 30 kms from here are built into the mangroves area and right on the sea. I also viewed a German documentary on their international channel about shrimp farming in Thailand making such baseless claims as hurting the mangroves. It was probably the TV crew who had destroyed the plants and put in a fake farm well in advance of their trip to Thailand. Ahh, yes, you are right - past European Union bans on Thai shrimp and health warnings were also dreamed up.

David I thank you for setting the record straight- about yourself not the industry.

In March 2010 I flew into BKK during daytime. Cambodia was just one huge smoke pit. The view from the plane was similar to images of industrial areas from the 19th century. A few days later I wanted to visit Isaan and went by the Aran route towards Lahansai. BAD idea. I got off the bus now and then and just waited for the next. The air improved north of KK. Until that point the sky was grey and I had constantly that smoke smell in my nose. Thus even if there are no local fires a breeze in the 'wrong' direction brings all the good stuff from Cambodia over.

The daily household trash burning might be even more lethal will all that plastic going up in the air. However a lot depends on conditions at the specific spot.

Aside from that trip, I had hardly problems with bad air in Isaan during other times of the year.

Yesterday I compared the Krungsri and Superrich rates. It was 0.8 bath or 20K on 800.000 baht, say 620 US. No small change for a taxi ride. I would anyhow have to decide where to get the time deposit. I am following this thread http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/560837-bank-savings-interest-rates/page-38

to give me some idea. In sum, prudent comparisons might render an overall saving and increased interest of up 750-800 US total. Not bad for a mornings work.

I trust that the documentation produced by the transfer to Krungsri would be fine. The documentation for immigration would be the 800K from the time deposit. I still need to figure out if Superrich accept a transfer from Krungsri - I am afraid they wont. Has anyone experience with such a transaction in case it would be possible?

Thanks for the clarifications on the 60 days. When I spoke with expats during my last visit things obviously got confused in my mind. The warning about potential complications is gold worth and might save me from a major headache.

I do not quite understand the reference to keeping my money in the US $ account. Is this possible and get a letter from the bank? I always thought it has to be converted into Thai baht. This would be very interesting as I suspect that the baht will drop further in the coming 1-2 years. I am speculating, of course, but everthing I read points to that direction.

Again thanks for all the valuable info and advice. It makes me feel much better and a bit more confident about taking this step ahead of me.

Thanks for the very fast replies.

Money> I did not make my point clear. I will transfer a sum from abroad into my Thai bank account. This will be in US $ and the account is in US $ (simply adding more funds to the existing ones). As the bank's own exchange rate cannot compete with other institutions, say Superrich, I was thinking of doing the exchange there. Thus, getting the money from the bank to Superrich makes me worry, and then of course back to the bank with the best time deposit rate for an account with 800.000 bath.

The bank (Krungsri) will certify that I had that incoming funds from the transfer as they know me for years and the lady in the foreign currency deposit department is simply very nice and most polite.

From the above I gather that I start moving on the change of visa to non-immigrant during the first 60 days right away and dont go for the 1 month extension - as the 60 days are no necessary on first application. Is that correct? Sorry for asking the perhaps obvious but just to be sure.

First apologies for posting these questions. I have used the web to find an answer. However, there are conflicting statements and I thought it better to ask than trusting my own potentially flawed judgment.

Arriving on a 60 days tourist visa allows me an extension for month (cost 1900 baht). After that I can apply for an extension of stay for a year provided I have 800,000 baht in an account. Do I need to have the money in the account for 3 or 2 months on first application? I read 3 months but some guys told me first time you apply it is only 2 months. I am little confused about this very important point.

Another question would be where to apply? I know Thailand quite well, but to stay longer in one place I am still undecided. BKK and Pattaya I stayed but the traffic is just a nightmare - so i need to try a new place I know less. The question is assuming I apply for the extension in say Chiang Mai I would have to report all the time to CM immigration? If I extend for another year could I pick another location? Is it possible to switch immigrations for reporting?

800,000 baht. I already have a bank account with one of the big banks but their exchange rate is not as good for instance Superrich in BKK. So I am planning to transfer the funds to the bank but do the exchange with Superrich. Now the idea of running around BKK with a large amount of cash does not appeal to me. Anyone done such large exchanges and used a bank transfer or what can be done?

I tried the web but feel insecure about these important matters so I posted this specific points. Hopefully the answers will not only help me but others as well.

Thanks in advance. Your info is greatly appreciated.

How did it work out with lentils? And how much was a kg ? Just being curious (and I like to cook myself....)

Racism and education are not contradiction. Modern German anti-semitism came to prominence in 1870s when Professors at Berlin were worried about heir careers and singled out "Jews", the eternal alien as they put it, as a danger for German culture etc. They could not attack the liberal intelligentsia on academic merits so the conservatives invented a new front.

Racism among academics is more common than many might expect. Positions are limited and competition is bad. Nationalism and racism offer categories to get rid of unwanted competitors.

In other words, while the commong people working on the rice might demonstrate a measure of ignorance and perhaps even prejudice, it is often the so-called intellectuals who are the real mad dogs. No need to assume that such people stand for anybody else other than their own aspirations (plus those of some their peers).

I can well imagine that some Thai academics wish that foreign academics might disappear. If this lady does exist it must be a daily torture seeing herself exposed for incompetence by her foreign colleagues performance.

I m not living in Philok but when I stayed in Tak I visited for private reasons the local provincial hospital which seemed to do OK under the circumstances. It was shortly after Mr. T.'s 30 baht reform and the place was going bankrupt and forced to cut corners as good as i could in order to survive. Accounts were in a miserable state as the government had not provided additional funds at that time. I also saw Sukkothai which seemed to be better - but that's coming from an ignorant user's perspective. The nurses told me that Sukkothai was better than Tak though.

From all that gossiping with nurses I gathered that they are a great source of info on hospitals. They know each other from their studies. Later they were assigned to their various home towns or places where they had married. Most of them stay in touch and call each other in case of medical emergencies. So they trade infos on physicians, equipment, current status of a place. When we were to visit a sick aunt my ex gf called the hospital nurse - not the doctor - and learned that she was in a coma and would not recover. I doubt that a doctor would have surrendered such info over the phone to an unknown person. Nurses were also rather blunt about the qualities of some docs and backed that up with stories of their failures - sometimes costing lives. This may sound somewhat scary - the good part was that they had a very clear understanding what was working and what was not. Cancer treatment, for instance, might necessitate a BKK facility for instance.

From the above I gathered it might be a good idea to maintain friendly relations with a nurse and have this kind of back-up. If the friend has no direct knowledge she has a phone book full of valuable contacts.

Perhaps a sticky with addresses of hospitals might come in handy once members feel really sick and like going to a hospital.

Time to out myself as a cheap charlie. Shame on me.

Having shown regret for my miserable existence I have to thank 52 for informing me that I am most likely also gay. That out of the way:

Any idea where to buy Assam tea? Last time I bought it was while visiting Europe on one of by begging trips. They had a store in a Berlin slum and sold from large metal boxes. Evidently those Germans could not even afford a proper teabag. Be that as it may, I liked it but never found some in Thailand. Admittedly I might have checked the wrong litter boxes and could have tried a more upscale subdivision.

Seriously, Assam tea with a drop of milk is very nice and a welcome change from the good Arabica coffee. Any idea where in CM or BKK I could get say 100 or 200 gr ?

My ex gf had studied nursing at Philok. Later she was selected for further training as a ICU cardiac specialist nurse (is there such a thing?) for training in BKK. The same hospital a most prominent Thai citizen lives in for a few years by now. Only one nurse was given that chance per year from the province or region. According to her the public hospital (provincial) in Philok was top notch and what she called famous in Thailand. From what she told me I gathered that it also functions as a Universityhospital and is therefore probably pretty much current as far as treatments and equipment go. She ranked it higher than private places in the area.

Sorry that this is a bit vague and general. However it comes from a very competent lady who is part of a family dynasty of nurses.

Hi,

I am not sure if this is the right sub forum but let's see.

Right now I am planning to relocate from another ASEAN country to Thailand after having reacher 50 years. I have a whole lot of books and some limited households items (cutlery, pots, bookshelves and a few rattan items I love), no electronics, clothing or the like to ship.

Any idea about the import duty on such items? The load would be less than a container, maybe half (4 tons).

Some hints would be very much appreciated. I have simply no clue how to do this.

THANKS!

Mike